From the Entre Ríos Agency Chamber, it is assured that there are increasingly more victims of this criminal modality.
Argentina.- While in Entre Ríos the Legislative Power works to unify four projects related to the regulation of online betting games, the number of sites operating illegally is increasing.
Guillermo Bizzotto, secretary of the Association of Official Agents of IAFAS of Entre Ríos (AAOIER), spoke with the local media Mirador, to alert the population about this growing problem in the province.
The official stated: "There are many illegal casinos that are around and hire ordinary people from the street, who are used to advertise the casinos. Through them, credit is loaded via Facebook or WhatsApp."
According to data provided by the entity, based on statistics from the Argentine Federation of Chambers and Associations of Lotteries, Quinielas, and Related, clandestine gambling exceeds by seven or eight times the bets made through the legal system. "There is much more illegal online gambling compared to the legal circuit," Bizzotto warned.
Furthermore, the representative of the official agents from Entre Ríos noted the control procedures of the Institute of Financial Assistance to Social Action (IAFAS) for physical and online games: "The platforms control georeferencing, meaning you can't play on an Entre Ríos platform if you don't have a legal residence in the province. The same applies to the registered bank account and mobile number," he explained.
To evade these types of controls, the "cashiers" resort to different types of strategies. According to Bizzotto, one of the most common maneuvers when a platform is reported is to shut it down and simultaneously, a new platform is created, with its corresponding Internet address. In this regard, he stated that "it is a quite unequal fight", since if AR$100m is bet in clandestine casinos, the State would miss out on collecting AR$15m.
It is worth remembering that a case of a scam in Gualeguaychú recently came to light, which set off alarms at IAFAS. A woman claimed to have won AR$103m (USD 103,000) on an online betting platform, but reports that she never received the prize.
Following this incident, IAFAS explained that illegal gambling operates from the shadows and approaches bettors through cashiers. "All links in the chain are committing a criminal offense, since in Argentina, bets can only be offered by the State Lotteries, backed by each of them and with clear and transparent rules," they detailed through a statement.
They added: "In Entre Ríos, IAFAS is the only body that can offer gambling games, whether physical or online, officially and legally. Its proposals reach the public through the network of official agencies; the nine casinos and 22 entertainment rooms; and the online platform www.iafasplay.bet.ar."
In November 2024, the commissions of Public Health; Social Development; and Education, Science and Technology, of the Chamber of Deputies of Entre Ríos, met to continue with the unification of four projects related to the regulation of online betting games.
